YREKA – For over two years as the executive director of the Yreka Chamber of Commerce, Joan Smith Freeman has been dedicated to promoting the “Golden City” and helping businesses succeed. Recently, she announced that she is resigning from the chamber and will use her business acumen to focus on her own enterprise – Clearpath Consulting, which she will run with her husband Gary.

“I will miss the board of directors and the chamber’s members. We have the greatest members in the world, and I have really enjoyed working with the local businesses,” said Freeman.

Freeman is not leaving the chamber in the lurch, as she has told the chamber’s board of directors she will stay on as executive director through the transition.

The chamber’s board president Becky Ives said the board has formed a committee to recruit Freeman’s successor and is anticipating that the position will be filled by early February.

“Joan has definitely been an asset to the chamber and the city of Yreka, and she will be missed as our executive director,” Ives commented.

Freeman, a former two-term Siskiyou County supervisor, said she is proud of the chamber’s many accomplishments over the past two years, and she noted that its membership has risen from 300 to nearly 400 during that period.

“It has done my heart good to see almost all the buildings on Miner Street filled,” said Freeman.

She said her goal has always been to urge community members to shop local and stay local – thus keeping Yreka businesses afloat and money circulating locally. Therefore, she said it has been rewarding to see the success of the chamber’s new “Shop Local – Stay Local” campaign.

The campaign encourages community members to pick up a punch card from the chamber office, which gets stamped by local merchants every time they spend a minimum of $10 at Yreka businesses. When the card has been stamped 10 times, it goes into a jar for a drawing. Those whose cards are picked in the drawing win a free night stay at a local motel, a meal at a local restaurant and a $250 city-wide gift certificate.

“This campaign prompts people to shop local because it gives them some incentive to know they have the opportunity to win something. It makes people think twice about shopping out of the area,” said Freeman.

Under her leadership, the chamber has successfully implemented the seasonal Yreka Art Walk, an idea first conceived by former board director Renata Funke. The Art Walk draws community members and their dollars to downtown businesses, and it gives people the opportunity to socialize and enjoy artwork, said Freeman.

Page 2 of 3 - The chamber has also reintroduced the annual car and motorcycle show, which is held in the downtown area.

“The business owners are very happy with this event, and it has brought a lot of money to the downtown merchants,” said Freeman.

In general, Freeman said attendance at Yreka’s annual events such as Gold Rush Days and the holiday parade continues to grow more and more with each passing year.

“I am really proud of the fact that we have increased our outreach to bring more people to the area,” said Freeman. She explained that the chamber went from local advertising to regional advertising of events and is in the process of redesigning its website to increase Yreka’s visibility.

One major boost in tourism promotion was when Yreka’s rich history, quaint restaurants and lodging were highlighted in the travel section of the LA Times last year. Freeman said she worked with the reporter to provide photographs and information for the article, and was thrilled by the outcome.

“That brought so much attention to our little town and our businesses. It was free advertising for Yreka,” she commented.

Another boost for the “Golden City” over the past two years has been the chamber’s collaboration with other chambers throughout the county, Collier’s Rest Area and the Siskiyou County Economic Development Council to pool resources and work collectively to promote the county’s many unique features and increase tourism.

“Since we have limited resources, we have been able to leverage our effectiveness by partnering with other organizations,” explained Freeman.

She noted that a good example is the recent push to promote bicycle tourism in Yreka and Siskiyou County on a whole.

“We have set forth strategies to promote our area for bicycle tourism, and the chamber has been very supportive of the time I have spent on this,” said Freeman.

She said she was inspired when she attended the Siskiyou Cycling & Trails Tourism Forum last year where over 100 chamber and agency representatives countywide gathered to put their heads together to determine ways to market Siskiyou County’s cycling opportunities.

“I have been in Siskiyou County since 1974, and this is the first time I have seen this level of support for a project,” said Freeman.

She noted that she intends to remain active in the city and countywide efforts to make the area a hub for bicycle recreation.

As Freeman prepares to resign from her position as the chamber’s executive director, she said she looks forward to exploring new ventures.

She is poised to take on the role of Yreka Rotary Club president this July, and she said she looks forward to re-starting her business, Clearpath Consulting, which she initially started after her two terms on the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors. The business has been non-operative over the past couple of years, but she said she looks forward to its revival.

Page 3 of 3 - Her business will serve to provide marketing and strategic planning consulting services to companies.

“I will continue to work toward making Yreka the place to be,” said Freeman. “It is a place like no other. The people are friendly, the scenery is beautiful, there is no traffic and it is the ideal spot to live, work and play.”